Only about 100 people live in Somerset in western Colorado, a former coal company town squeezed into a narrow valley. A state highway and railroad tracks crowd on one side, the North Fork of the Gunnison River on the other. Some say there’s charm in the town’s narrow streets and funky houses with affordable rent. […]
Columns
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Branching Out: Respecting life and death
Is a dead animal of value, or just trash? I’m forced to ponder this after retrieving a dead creature from Highway 133. We didn’t want cars to smash the animal to oblivion. The night had been exceptionally dark, stars and moon veiled by snow clouds. Not another car was on the road. Amid a thicket […]
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Scuttlebutt – February 11, 2021
Vaccine eligibility As of Feb. 8, Colorado opened vaccine eligibility to people ages 65 to 69, to K-12 educators and childcare workers, to first responders and other essential workers. This is Phase 1b.2 of the state’s vaccination plan. The expansion allows more than a quarter of Colorado adults to get the shot — if they […]
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Scuttlebutt – February 4, 2021
ReFUND Colorado The Donate to Colorado Nonprofit Fund (ReFUND CO) allows state taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax refunds to a Colorado-based nonprofit. This provides the sector with a funding boost and strengthens ties with donors. Learn more about the ReFUND Colorado campaign, timeline, eligibility requirements at refundwhatmatters.org Warm hearts Throughout February, Garfield […]
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Sign of the Bear
Next week will be a new year according to the Chinese calendar, “Year of the Ox.” This, the second sign, is grounded, loyal and trustworthy. The story goes that the Jade Emperor was having a party and he decided the order in which his guests arrived would determine the order of the Chinese zodiac. Ox, […]
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Ending one more "ism"
In many cultures, including that of our First Nations People, elders are admired, respected, and valued for their perspective and wisdom. Family and community members gather around elders to seek advice and learn from their life experiences. As a child, I cherished the time I spent with my grandparents, and later, with older friends. Stories […]
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Scuttlebutt – January 28, 2021
ReFUND Colorado The Donate to Colorado Nonprofit Fund (ReFUND CO) allows state taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax refunds to a Colorado-based nonprofit. This provides the sector with a funding boost and strengthens ties with donors. Learn more about the ReFUND Colorado campaign, timeline, eligibility requirements and more at refundwhatmatters.org Energy future Garfield […]
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Light and color via Zoom
On Fridays, I teach a color-mixing class to five artists, aged 11 to about 75. They bring a burst of light to my week, piercing the gloom of my current shut-in/shut-down life. At the presidential inauguration, poet Amanda Gorman, resplendent in her sunshine yellow coat, similarly pierced the darkness many of us have been feeling […]
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Town Report – Carbondale
Free COVID testing site remains in operation behind Town Hall with a slight decline in usage recently. The website to schedule an appointment is rfcovidtest.co COVID cases in Garfield County continue to drop but the county remains at level orange according to the state. Town staff are working with the county and other municipalities to […]
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Emergency help for apartment dwellers
Housing took center stage at the most recent Basalt Town Council meeting. With the pandemic ongoing and its associated economic downturn, affording rent is increasingly a challenge in the Roaring Fork Valley. In November and December 2020, the Basalt Affordable Community Housing group (BACH), first formed in 2009, provided emergency rental assistance to persons living […]